At the commencement of the "Marine Project", Heidi Gatherall, a teacher from Newfoundland visited St. Mary's. Heidi is a learning resource teacher with St. Patrick's Elementary School and St. Bernard's Primary School in Newfoundland, Canada. Both schools are adjacent to the sea and Newfoundland has a proud maritime heritage. Strong historical links exist between Waterford and Newfoundland based on the Grand Banks cod fishery. Heidi's visit here was to discuss and develop ideas for the "Marine Project" that students from both sides of the Atlantic could jointly work on.

Students from St. Mary's cooperated with their colleagues in Newfoundland on several aspects of the "Marine Project" i.e. marine birdlife, shipwrecks, historical links and literature. Students teleconferenced and used e-mail to communicate and share information with their partner classes.

During her visit Heidi gave slide presentations on her schools and Newfoundland to all participating classes. Heidi also joined us on our fieldtrip to Rathmoylan Cove.